Poverty remains a real and ongoing issue to overcome around the globe, and one whose solution includes economic integration for those impoverished. At the same time, the cultural and linguistic make-up of our world is quickly changing through migrations, both voluntary and forced. Migrations, including a global trend towards urbanization, bring peoples and languages into direct contact — and often, conflict — where there may be no historic interactions or understanding. As people face poverty around the world, they need to overcome barriers to economic integration in many diverse geopolitical situations.

At this interactive event honoring International Mother Language Day, join our diverse group of panelists as they consider the following questions. What is the relation between language diversity, poverty, and economic integration? How does the language a person speaks influence one’s ability to be educated, hold a job, and be economically successful? Can proactively addressing language diversity be at the core of solutions, instead of being seen as part of the poverty problem?

Dr. Carol da Silva from Save the Children will provide an overview to frame the panel presentations and following discussions. Dr. Terrence G. Wiley from CAL will provide background on International Mother Language Day and talk about Superdiversity, how super and how diverse? Dr. Maik Gibson from SIL International will present on Urbanization and Language Complexities from his research within the African and Sahara/Sub-Sahara region. Dr. Shereen Bhalla will briefly touch on the Syrian Refugee Crisis and share a refugee backgrounder on this population developed by the Cultural Orientation Resource (COR) Center housed at CAL through 2015.

Please come and be an active part of this discussion. Through presentations by field experts, case studies, and lively panel/audience interaction, attendees will be better able to address the impact of language diversity on some of core issues of global poverty.